Gucci Redesigned Its Menswear Collection In One Week

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There are always last minute additions and subtractions to a designer’s collection before it hits the runway—usually the creative team will perhaps cut a look or tweak an accessory. For Gucci this season, these last minute alterations were far more drastic with the recent departure of their designer, Frida Giannini.

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Giannini’s withdrawal forced the Gucci design team to conceive a whole new look—from the clothes to the set design to the casting of the models— in just a week. This “show must go on” spirit helped the team power through and debut the label’s fall/winter 2015 menswear collection in Milan, Italy yesterday.

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On the whole, the collection provided a bit of everything, from oversized coats to shrunken, cropped jackets. In addition to the iconic Gucci pieces like the double-breasted suit, there were new looks. “The Gucci show was certainly a fresh start for the brand,” Bruce Pask, Men’s Fashion Director of Bergdorf Goodman told Yahoo Style, “it reminded me of Kurt Cobain and the fluidity he had with his wardrobe.”

Like Cobain, who often sported an androgynous look, the Gucci team introduced feminine touches to menswear like sheer, lace, and blouses with floppy bows. Its show received mixed reviews, while some editors complained that the clothes looked droopy or too womanly, but Gucci actually hit most of trends circulating the catwalks in London and Milan, including themes of androgynous feminism.

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Within the past couple of weeks, gender-bending has been explored in clothing by designers like Prada and Britain’s favorite young designer, J.W. Anderson, who conceptualizes menswear to include feminine characteristics. Anderson’s vision has been praised by the industry, introducing the designer to various design opportunities at Topshop and Loewe. Perhaps Gucci will follow suit.

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At the finale of Gucci’s presentation, Alessandro Michele, the brand’s head accessories designer took a bow, surrounded by a small team of designers. After his timely turn-around performance, the Gucci Group appointed Michele as the brand’s new creative director, following Giannini’s departure. Although the crowd may have not roared with applause for the clothes, they certainly did for Michele.